It is known to use additive manufacturing to manufacture three-dimensional (3D) products. Conventional apparatuses and methods for additive manufacturing, however, suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, conventional additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods are undesirably slow and expensive. Conventional additive manufacturing is also limited to an undesirably small number of material options and the manufactured product has undesirable directional mechanical properties and other manufacturing defects. In addition, conventional additive manufacturing is not well-suited to handle multi-material applications.
It is also known to use casting to manufacture 3D products. Conventional apparatuses and methods for casting, however, suffer from one or more disadvantages. For example, conventional casting apparatuses and methods require expensive molds that are time-consuming and require skilled labor to produce. Conventional casting molds are also not dissolvable or otherwise easily disposed, and the manufactured product frequently includes undesirable voids and other manufacturing defects.
It would be desirable, therefore, if an apparatus and method for hybrid manufacturing could be provided that would increase the speed at which products could be manufactured and reduce the cost and difficulty of manufacturing products. It would also be desirable if such an apparatus and method for hybrid manufacturing could be provided that would increase the number of material options and minimize or eliminate directional mechanical properties, voids, and other manufacturing defects. It would be further desirable if such an apparatus and method for hybrid manufacturing could be provided that would allow for the use of multiple different materials in a single product. It would be still further desirable if such an apparatus and method for hybrid manufacturing could be provided that would utilize dissolvable molds.